Tatsuya Kawajiri
| birth_place = Inashiki, Ibaraki, Japan | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | residence = | nationality = Japanese | height = Pride profile | weight = | weightclass = | reach = | style = Shooto | stance = | fightingoutof= | team = | rank =''A-Class Shootist Shooto'' | yearsactive = | kickboxingwins = 1 | kickboxingkowins = 1 | kickboxinglosses = 1 | kickboxingkolosses = 1 | kickboxingdraws = | kickboxingncs = | mmawins = 26 | mmakowins = 11 | mmasubwins = 6 | mmadecwins = 8 | mmalosses = 5 | mmakolosses = | mmasublosses = | mmadeclosses = | mmadraws = 2 | mmancs = | url = | sherdog = | footnotes = | updated = }} Tatsuya Kawajiri ( , born May 8, 1978) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and a former Shooto welterweight champion, currently competing in Dream's lightweight division. He is nicknamed the "Crusher" for his devastating power and ground and pound fighting style. He holds wins over the likes of UFC veteran Yves Edwards, and Vitor Ribeiro from whom he captured the Shooto Championship Belt. Kawajiri's Bushido Tournament match with Takanori Gomi was voted as Pride Fighting Championship's Fight of the Year. During the early stages of 2005, Kawajiri was considered by many mixed martial arts publications to be the #1 Lightweight fighter in the world. He is ranked as the number 5 lightweight fighter in the world by both Sherdog and MMAWeekly Biography He was born in the Inashiki District of Ibaraki Prefecture . He graduated from Chuo Gakuin University. MMA career Kawajiri is nicknamed " The Crusher" for his strength in the clinch and his "Ground and Pound" techniques. Shooto Kawajiri's professional career started in Japan's Shooto organization where he lost to Takumi Nakayama via rear naked choke at 2:44 of the first round. After this loss Kawajiri went on to fight Yohei Suzuki to a Draw at Shooto's "Wanna Shooto 2001." He would then remain undefeated in Shooto until a disappointing decision loss to future Shooto welterweight champion Vitor Ribeiro in 2002. He would then continue on a new winning streak eventually rematching Ribeiro to capture the welterweight crown at Shooto's 2004 Year-End show. Pride FC On 22 May 2005 Kawajiri made his debut in Pride and score a quick TKO over In Seok Kim. He went on to score a one-sided victory over Luis Firmino at Pride Bushido 8 on July 17, 2005. On 25 September, he entered Pride's first ever Lightweight tournament in hopes of eventually being crowned Pride's first Lightweight Champion as well as holding the Shooto championship at the same time. His first match in the tournament was against MMA lightweight superstar Takanori Gomi. Gomi ended up knocking down Kawajiri after a flurry of punches and proceeded to submit him with a rear naked choke 7:42 into the first round. In Between Shooto and Pride Kawajiri went back to Shooto to defend his lightweight championship against Joachim Hansen (one of the five people to have ever beaten Gomi). The match was stopped 8 seconds into the first round when Hansen was disqualified for kicking Kawajiri in the groin, making Kawajiri the victor. Kawajiri came back to Pride in a fight against Charles Bennett whom he submitted by kneebar after 2:30 in the first round. He then made another Pride appearance in which he fought Chris Brennan and scored an even quicker victory 29 seconds in the first round by TKO. His next fight was a non-title bout against Per Eklund in Shooto where he scored a TKO at 4:10 into the first round. Kawajiri return to Pride was at Pride Shockwave 2006 on New Year's Eve. There he lost a controversial decision to at the time undefeated American fighter and rising star in the lightweight division, Gilbert Melendez. On January 23, 2007, Tatsuya Kawajiri relinquished his Shooto title because he could not defend his title by the next Shooto event due to a thumb injury that occurred with his fight against Melendez. Dream In March 2008 Kawajiri entered the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix, where he has advanced to the semifinals after back to back victories over Kultar Gill, and Brazilian Top Team fighter Luiz Firmino. At Dream 5 Kawajiri lost a semi-final match-up to Eddie Alvarez by TKO at 7:35 of the first round. This slugfest with Alvarez saw both men dropping the other repeatedly with punches and the fight was named 2008 Fight of the Year by several MMA outlets, including Sherdog. On March 5, 2009, at Dream 7, Kawajiri dropped down a weight class to Featherwight (145 lbs) to face EliteXC veteral Ross Ebanez. Kawajiri choked out the Hawaiian with Rear Naked Choke just over 4 minutes into the first round. On May 26, 2009, Kawajiri defeated Gesias Calvancante via unanimous decision. The "Crusher" used his strong wrestling and ground and pound to great effect, and he was also able to frustrate "JZ" by matching him in the striking game on the feet. Kawajiri next faced Guam's Melchor Manibusan, who had not fought in several years in a match that was not expected to be comptetive for Kawajiri. Indeed on October 5, 2009, at Dream 11, Kawajiri overwhelmed his opponent. The "Crusher" easily took down his foe after a wild start in which Manibusan rushed Kawajiri with a flurry of punches, then used his trademark ground and pound to force the TKO via strikes at 3:48 of the very first round. On December 22, 2009, it was announced that Kawajiri would be taking on Sengoku Lightweight Kazunori Yokota in a Sengoku vs. DREAM fight at the annual Dynamite!! event on New Year's Eve in Saitama, Japan.http://www.k-1.co.jp/en/news/2009/1222_dynamite_01.html He went on to defeat Yokota via unanimous decision in a fight he was expected to finish with ease, though he was fighting with a leg injury. K-1 Kawajiri fought K-1 veteran Kozo Takeda at Dynamite!! 2008 winning by 1st round KO. His next K-1 fight was at K-1 World Max 2009 Final 8 against Masato who defeated Kawajiri by TKO at 1:43 in the second round. Mixed martial arts record {| style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable" width="100%" |- !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Date' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Result' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Opponent' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Event' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Method' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Round' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Time' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Location' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Notes' |- |26-5-2 |12/31/2009 | Win | Kazunori Yokota |''Dynamite!! 2009'' |Decision (Unanimous) |3 |5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- |25-5-2 |10/06/2009 | Win | Melchor Manibusan |''DREAM.11'' Feather Weight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round |TKO (Punches) |1 |3:48 | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | |- |24-5-2 |5/26/2009 | Win | Gesias Calvancante |DREAM.9 Feather Weight Grand Prix 2009 Second Round |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | |- |23-5-2 |3/8/2009 | Win | Ross Ebanez |DREAM.7 Feather Weight Grand Prix 2009 First Round |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |1 |4:03 | Saitama, Japan | |- |22-5-2 |7/21/2008 | Loss | Eddie Alvarez |DREAM.5 Light Weight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round |TKO (Punches) |1 |7:35 | Osaka, Japan || |- |22-4-2 |5/11/2008 | Win | Luiz Firmino |DREAM.3 Light Weight Grand Prix 2008 Second Round |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Saitama, Japan || |- |21-4-2 |3/15/2008 | Win | Kultar Gill |DREAM.1 Light Weight Grand Prix 2008 First Round |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Saitama, Japan || |- |20-4-2 |12/31/2007 | Win | Luiz Azeredo |Yarennoka - New Year's Eve 2007 |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- |19-4-2 |12/31/2006 | Loss | Gilbert Melendez |Pride Shockwave 2006 |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |- |19-3-2 |10/14/2006 | Win | Per Eklund |Shooto - Champion Carnival |TKO (Punches) |1 |4:10 | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | |- |18-3-2 |8/26/2006 | Win | Chris Brennan |Pride Bushido 12 |TKO (Strikes) |1 |0:29 | Nagoya, Aichi, Japan | |- |17-3-2 |6/04/2006 | Win | Charles Bennett |Pride Bushido 11 |Submission (Kneebar) |1 |2:30 | Saitama, Japan | |- |16-3-2 |2/17/2006 | Win | Joachim Hansen |Shooto - The Victory of the Truth |DQ (Kick to Groin) |1 |0:08 | Tokyo, Japan | Defended Shooto Welterweight Title |- |15-3-2 |9/25/2005 | Loss | Takanori Gomi |Pride Bushido 9 |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |1 |7:42 | Tokyo, Japan |Pride 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix quarter-finals. Voted Pride FC Fight of the Year 2005 |- |15-2-2 |7/17/2005 | Win | Luiz Firmino |Pride Bushido 8 |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Nagoya, Aichi, Japan | |- |14-2-2 |5/22/2005 | Win | In Seok Kim |Pride Bushido 7 |TKO (Punches) |1 |3:28 | Tokyo, Japan | |- |13-2-2 |4/23/2005 | Win | Jani Lax |Shooto 2005 - 4/23 in Hakata Star Lanes |TKO (Punches) |1 |4:42 | Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan | |- |12-2-2 |12/14/2004 | Win | Vitor Ribeiro |Shooto 2004 - Year-End Show |TKO (Punches) |2 |3:11 | Tokyo, Japan |Won Shooto Welterweight Title |- |11-2-2 |9/26/2004 | Win | Mindaugas Laurinaitis |Shooto 2004 - 9/26 in Korakuen Hall |TKO (Punches) |2 |2:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- |10-2-2 |3/22/2004 |colspan=1 style="background: #c5d2ea" | Draw | Caol Uno |Shooto 2004 - 3/22 in Korakuen Hall |Draw |3 |5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- |10-2-1 |12/14/2003 | Win | Ryan Bow |Shooto 2003 - Year-End Show |TKO (Punches) |1 |4:21 | Urayasu, Chiba, Japan | |- |9-2-1 |8/10/2003 | Win | Yves Edwards |Shooto 2003 - 8/10 in Yokohama Gymnasium |Decision (Unanimous) |3 |5:00 | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | |- |8-2-1 |5/30/2003 | Win | Takumi Nakayama |Shooto - Shooter's Dream 2 |TKO (Punches) |1 |3:44 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- |7-2-1 |12/14/2002 | Loss | Vitor Ribeiro |Shooto - 2002 Year-End Show |Decision (Unanimous) |3 |5:00 | Urayasu, Chiba, Japan | |- |7-1-1 |10/27/2002 | Win | Ken Omatsu |Shooto - GIG West 3 |Submission (Armbar) |1 |4:40 | Osaka, Japan | |- |6-1-1 |7/19/2002 | Win | Tsutomu Shiiki |Shooto - Treasure Hunt 8 |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |1 |4:42 | Tokyo, Japan | |- |5-1-1 |5/28/2002 | Win | Daisuke Sugie |Shooto - GIG East 9 |TKO (Punches) |2 |4:19 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- |4-1-1 |4/21/2002 | Win | Takeshi Yamazaki |Shooto - Wanna Shooto Japan |Decision (Unanimous) |2 |5:00 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- |3-1-1 |3/13/2002 | Win | Masaya Takita |Shooto - Treasure Hunt 4 |TKO (Swollen Eye) |2 |1:22 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- |2-1-1 |9/27/2001 | Win | Kazumichi Takada |Shooto - To The Top 9 |Technical Submission (Triangle/Armbar) |1 |3:03 | Tokyo, Japan | |- |1-1-1 |5/22/2001 | Win | Yohei Suzuki |Shooto - GIG East 2 |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |1 |2:42 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- |0-1-1 |4/08/2001 |colspan=1 style="background: #c5d2ea" | Draw | Yohei Suzuki |Shooto - Wanna Shooto 2001 |Draw |2 |5:00 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- |0-1 |4/12/2000 | Loss | Takumi Nakayama |Shooto - R.E.A.D. 4 |Submission (Rear Naked Choke) |1 |2:44 | Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan | |- K-1 / Kickboxing record {| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:85%" |- |style="text-align: center" colspan=8|'1 Wins' (1 (T)KO's), 1 Losses (1 (T)KO's) |- !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Date' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Result' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Opponent' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Event' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Method' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Round' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Time' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Location' !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|'Notes' |- |1-1 | 07/13/2009 | Loss | Masato | K-1 World Max 2009 Final 8 | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 2 | 1:43 || Yokohama, Japan |- |1-0 | 12/31/2008 | Win | Kozo Takeda | Dynamite!! 2008 | KO | 1 | 2:47 | Saitama, Japan | |- References External links *Official web site Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Japanese mixed martial artists ja:川尻達也